Full text of "Food news for consumers"

See other formats

Historic, Archive Document

Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

FOOD N£WS

FOR CONSUMERS United States Department of Ag^icy^i^e Volume 5 Number 3 Holidays 1988

Health Gifts The First Food Safety Safe Shipping of

From Research GAME!!! Mail-Order Foods

FOOD
NEWS

FOR CONSUMERS

Holidays 1988
Vol. 5, No. 3

Contents of this magazine are
intended for re-use. No permission
is necessary.

This magazine is published by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food
Safety and Inspection Service.

Administrator

Lester M. Crawford

Associate Administrator

Ronald J. Prucha

Director, Information and
Legislative Affairs

Jane Adams

Chief, Public Awareness

Laura Fox

Editor

Mary Ann Parmley
(202 ) 447-9351

News Wires Editor

Liz Lapping

Art Director

Richard J. Barnes

Cover Illustration

Richard Thompson

Photography

Lester Shepard

Production

Maxine Grant

Food News for Consumers is published
four times a year Subscription price is
$5.00 (domestic) or $6.25 (foreign)
per year. Send subscription orders
to: Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office.
Washington, DC 20402. Send
comments and inquiries to: Editor,
Food News for Consumers, FSIS/ILA,
Room 1165 South, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.
Telephone: (202) 447-9351.

Ask the Consumer Adivisor

Dear Consumer Advisor:

Is USDA active in the area of electronic
dissemination of information?

Dear Reader:

Very much so! In fact, much of what you hear
or read about from USDA may have come to
you because of USDA's electronic dissemination
program. For the past several years, USDA has
been issuing a variety of information, from
consumer-type materials to highly technical
economic data, through electronic means.

USDA is just now launching a computerized consumer information service of
interest to the general public, covering subjects other than food. This service
will contain useful information about various subjects such as energy,
recreation, textiles and gardening.

This "non-food" service, just now getting its feet wet, is in addition to the
popular electronic service started more than two years ago that contains infor-
mation about food and nutrition. It focuses on food economics, nutrition
research, food safety, applied nutrition and food assistance.

Both computer services are designed to reach "retailers" of information who
subscribe to USDA's electronic dissemination service. These retailers further dis-
seminate information to their subscribers, who number in the thousands. The
subscribers, in turn, distribute the materials to others, including consumers.

Consumers interested in receiving USDA information electronically are encour-
aged to subscribe to one of the retailers. Any desktop computer that can "talk"
to another computer can receive USDA information directly through these
sources. There is a fee, of course, which varies widely depending on the retailer.

Anyone who is interested in getting information electronically from one of
these retailers should contact Russ Forte at 1-202-447-5505. He can provide you
with names, addresses and telephone numbers.

We not only want more people to get our information electronically, we want
to know how our computerized information service can be improved. We're
always looking for suggestions.

Sincerely,

ANN COLLINS CHADWICK, Director
Office of the Consumer Advisor
Phone: (1-202) 382-9681

VOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS I HOLIDAYS 1988

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS

CONTENTS

Consumer Education

Real men are doing more than eating quiche these
days. Many will be preparing holiday meals.
Our Hotline home economists offer help with
hand-to-hand turkey "combat"

p. 4

Food Safety

Tie Up Those Mail-Order Foods With Safe

Packing & Delivery

It's easy and fun to buy by mail when you know how to
ensure safe delivery. Read actual "heartbreaker" accounts
of what happened to some of the unwary p. 6

Special Feature

* EXCLUSIVE - The first Food Safety Game!

What kind of monopoly do you have on the latest
food safety information? Answers from USDA
experts

p. 8

Health and Nutrition

Gifts of Research

From carbonated milk drinks to the latest findings
on how copper deficiency can affect the heart, USDA
research works to improve human health and food
production . . p. 10

lUrkey Basics Chart from USDA p. 14

News Wires

USDA will fight salmonella with a new sanitizing

chlorine spray in poultry plants and improved labeling

of how to handle poultry products at home p. 12

New quick tests for chloramphenicol, sulfamethazine
will help keep unwanted drug residues out of
meat foods p. 12

Government, the food industry and academia are

represented on the Advisory Committee on

Microbiological Criteria for Foods p. 13

The new sandwich bread? Pass a slice of cornbread,

please p. 13

Snip-Its

You've been asking for it. so here it is — a handy filler
and tips section geared to safe-food kitchen gifts,
the "egg" questions and new, free publications . .

p. 15

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS I HOLIDAYS 1988

Consumer
Education

Whlh ESQUIRE running a cooking
column and GQ (GENTLEMAN'S
QUARTERLY) using its letters section
to discuss imported coffees, we can
definitely say that magazine editors at
least think men are showing a new
interest in cooking.

Could it be that a few good men
will actually be preparing holiday
meals this year?

"Probably." says USDA's Yves Gerem.
our regional public affairs person In
Dallas, who recently conducted a tele-
phone survey on why more men are
venturing into the kitchen.

Gerem reports that Susan Wyler,
food editor of FOOD S WINE maga-
zine in New York, says, "More men are
cooking now because more couples
are working. Also many men dine out
on expense accounts, so they go home
and try to reproduce what they liked
In the restaurant,"

And Cynthia Fauser, food and nutri-
tion specialist with USDAs Extension
Service in St, Louis, comments, "Men
like sciences and cooking is something
akin to that. They like the creativity in
cooking and it's an activity with imme-
diate feedback."

Jean Liles, food editor of SOUTH-
ERN LIVING, told Gerem that many
men help with Thanksgiving dinner.
"Of course in the South," she adds,
"men always enjoyed cooking out,
especially grilling. And you'd be sur-
prised how many men like to make
desserts."

Llles also mentions that there are
more single men today and that the
expense of eating out pushes many
hold-outs into the kitchen.

Arlene Coco, a cooking teacher at
Bloomlngdale's in Dallas who gives
classes for bachelors, notes that since
"more men have to share kitchen du-
ties, they'd rather cook than wash-up."

What does Ms. Coco emphasize In
Bachelor Cooking 101) "They're inter-

ested in quick-cooking, so I teach
them how to use packaged products
and mixes with fresh ingredients for
good, easy meals."

Cooking Is interesting, fascinating
actually But it can also be perplexing
when you're still scoping the whole
thing out.

To help with the questions men
and other new cooks face when they
square off with a holiday meal here is
some down-to-the-cutting-board ad-
vice from USDA's Meat and Poultry
Hotline home economists.

Q. I'll be hosting the office
singles Thanksgiving dinner, but I
don't know the first thing about party
planning.

If I bring a stuffed, cooked turkey
and trimmings home from the deli
on Wednesday, refrigerate It
overnight and reheat
on Thursday will
that be okayf

REALHEN
ARE INlHE
KITCHEN
FACWG ^
TURKEYS

A. It's not the safest plan. A
cooked, stuffed turkey is too big and
dense to cool down quickly enough in
a home refrigerator to prevent bacte-
rial growth. Plus, later re heating the
turkey in a slow oven to prevent dry-
ing-out could allow even more growth
of potential food poisoners.

Bring the turkey home from the
deli on Thursday and serve your
guests immediately Otherwise, if you
must buy It the day before, remove
the stuffing and meat from the bird to
refrigerate In several small containers.
Reheat these goodies, in small pans.
In the microwave or oven. Make sure
re-heated meat and stuffing reaches
160° F. Bring gravy to a rolling boll.

Aiii Other
ThingThat Could

Frazzle JuliJ Child

Q. 'When I promised to smoke
this year's turkey on the grill, it didn't
sound too hard. But now I have to do
it next week. How exactly do you
smoke a turkey? Will cold outside
temperatures Interfere?

A. How you smoke a turkey
depends in part on your equipment,
but here's some general advice.

High-quality charcoal will get you
off to a fast start. Use the damper for
the slow, sustained cooking you'll
need toward the end of the process.

Want to cut your clean-up time?
Foil-line the grill and place a foil drip-
pan beneath the meat rack.

Tb maintain a safe cooking tempera-
ture of about 250° E add new coals
every hour. Check the air temperature
by propping a "stabbing" meat ther-
mometer up in an opening on top of
the grill.

How long will it take to smoke the
turkey? Indoors, you can estimate
15-18 minutes per pound for thorough
cooking; outside, strong winds can ex-
tend that. There's a fail-safe check,
though. You know the turkey's done
when it registers 180° F on a meat
thermometer inserted into the thigh.

Q. I'm giving a party and since 1
don't cook much. I'm picking up dell
trays of meats and cheeses. How can I
keep them safe for my guests?

A. Try this; Ask the dell mana-
ger for several small platters Instead
of 2-3 large ones. That way you can
keep half your trays refrigerated
while the others are out on the buffet.
Of course no tray should sit out at
room temperature over 2 hours. Not
only is the replacement-tray method
safe, but your late-arrlving guests can
enjoy the same appetizing arrange-
ments as the early arrivals.

Q. Last year I saw fresh turkeys
in the store a full three weeks before
Thanksgiving. How soon should you
buy one?

A. The official USDA word on
this is that fresh turkey highly per-
ishable, should be bought no more
than a day or two before you're ready
to cook It. If for some reason, you
must shop more in advance than that,
you might be better advised to buy a
frozen turkey

Q. I keep reading that a turkey
should only be thawed In the refrig-
erator, but I really don't have room,
this time of year, for a turkey to sit in
there several days. What are my other
options?

«■ You can thaw a small turkey
In the microwave. Follow the manual
carefully and be ready to cook the
bird as soon as It's th.iwcd

Youcan,ilsotluwiuiU-v,n ., sink.
After cleaning the Muk ilu- iiukcy
In a heavy liec.-i-i Imv ^emu-.i with a
twist tie. Covci ilu- l-iul -^iil, , ,1,1
water, chanpiuj; ih,' , ,,u -a i vciy
30 minutes. Di'ih ikIih,, ih,- M.-i-of
your turkey this will t.iko hoiu -I to 12

Q. Whenever wo piop.iie.i
big meal, my wife uses two anting
boards. One Is loi tlu' im-.u. .mil the
other Isforothci loods. Why.'

A. While taking pains Is often
extra work, II pays safety dividends.
Because juices and fragments of raw
meat and poultry can carry food poi-
soning bacteria to other food, your
wife just eliminates the possibility of
contamination by using two boards.

We'll add a further caveat. In
wooden cutting boards, bacteria cm
get down into grooves where ordinary
washing may not remove them. So we
recommend you use an acrylic board.
Wash your acrylic board In hot, soapy
water between uses.

Q. What troubles me most
about a big holiday feast Is the timing.
It's all 1 can do to get the turkey ready
I'll never manage to get gravy hot.
cranberry salad cold and dessert
ready at the same time. Helpl

A. Timing Is a bugaboo for most
new cooks. May we suggest you just
do the turkey and perhaps your favor
Ite stuffing. Get some bread from a
fancy baker and heat it. last minute. In
the microwave. Order a cold relish
tray from the grocery Ask one of your
guests to bring the cranberry salad.
Someone else supplies dessert. People
like to show off favorite recipes and
no one will feel frantic

- Staff writers nes Gerem. Jene Spring-
rose and Susan Timplln contributed
to this story.

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERSIHOLIDAtS 1988

«>0D HEWS FOn CONSUMERSIHOUDAVS 7

by Mary Ann Parmley

nften now the season to be jolly
is a time to get a lot of upper
arm exercise hauling massive
catalogues in through the mail-slot.

And with mail-order foods bringing
in close to $1 billion a year, it's not
surprising that the crown rib roasts,
succulent baked turkeys and gorgeous
planked salmon you see in the cata-
logues look fabulous.

Doubtless most of these items are
just as good as they look when shot
by the food photographers. They're
also great for putting together easy
holiday meals and as gifts for those on
your shopping list.

Still, the food safety question is
how can you be sure these foods will
stay safe and wonderful in shipment?

Diane Van. a USDA Meat and Poul-
try Hotline staffer who's researching
the problem, says, "We've been log-
ging calls on problems with mail-
order foods for the last two years, and
what we're seeing is that, as their
popularity grows, so does the trouble
people have with them."

"Specifically." says Van. "we're
seeing a marked increase in situations
where the consumer receives a prod-
uct in questionable or downright
unsafe condition."

"What concerns us even more." says
Hotline manager Susan Templin, "is
that we have reason to believe the
complaints we hear are just a fraction
of the real problem. People don't like
to complain about gifts, right? They
don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
Plus, they didn't pay for the item, so if
they have to throw it out, it's not that
big a loss."

Exactly what kinds of mail-order
food problems reached USDA's Meat
and Poultry Hotline (1-800-535-4555)
over the last holiday season?

"Most of the calls," says Temphn,
"were on smoked or smoked and
vacuum-packed hams and turkeys.
A runner-up group included sausage,
pheasant, salmon, cheese and cheese-
cake. Usually the problem was items
no longer frozen or cold. Cheeses
were reported 'runny' Cheesecakes
were 'mushy' and one smoked salmon
was covered with mold."

USDA food technologist Robert
Post, called in to consult on the issue,
says. "It's important that people
understand that just because a meat's
been smoked — which often is just
exposure to a commercial smoke
source — doesn't necessarily mean
it's been cooked. Plus, cooked meat
should be shipped with an ice source
to keep it at refrigeration tempera-
tures — at or below 40° F."

Post continues. 'And while a vac-
uum-pack does extend shelf-life some-
what and delay some taste-change
problems, most vacuum-packed foods
still need a cold source."

What is an adequate cold source?
"Omaha steaks, a pioneer in the field,"
says Post, "uses a box which consists
of a styrofoam cooler packed with dry
ice." (See illus.)

"Other reliable companies." Post
continues, "freeze food solid so that
overnight delivery in cold weather
guarantees that it will arrive still firm
and cold to the touch."

Hint: Don't Send Food to Some-
one's 0£Eice. "One thing I know from
this research." says Hothne staffer
Diane Van, "is that it's nearly always
unwise to send a food gift to some-
one's office."

Van is grinning. "You wouldn't be-
lieve some of these 'office' stories. A
salesman's wife called. Husband got a
box of frozen steaks at the office. He
put them in the car. forgot about them
and drove his usual route for a week
before he brought them home. They
were filet mignons too. Naturally, we
had to tell her not to use them."

•'MINIATURE DEEP FREEZE'' PACKAGING

COOLER LID

CORRUGATED
DOUBLE-STRENGTH
BOX

2 75-MILS-THICK
POLYETHYLENE FILM
USED AS FINAL LAYER
OF INSULATION AND
PROTECTIVE SHRINK WRAP

1 987 Omaha Steaks International. Inc

Omaha Steak 's meat packaging
involves dry ice inside a styrofoam
cooler, the whole package shrink-
wrapped for extra insulation.

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS I HOLIDAYS 1988

"Then," Van continues, "there was
the executive who got a baked turkey
in an unmarked box during the office
party. She didn't know what it was.
Put it under her desk. Forgot it till the
weekend. Another food gift lost."

It's safer to send food directly to
the home. Even then, though, things
can go wrong. People are out of town
and the neighbor doesn't refrigerate
something. No one's home and some-
thing that must be signed for spoils at
the Post Office.

Still, most of these problems can be
solved by thinking ahead.

Tips on Mail-Order Food
... When You Order A Gift

1. check on the cold source — Ask
what kind of cold source will be used
with perishable food and how long
the package will be in transit. The
cold source must last long enough so
that food arrives still frozen or firm
and cold.

Canned or processed foods labeled
"keep refrigerated" should also be
shipped with a cold source.

2. Check that the package will be
labeled as perishable food on the out-
side. Perishables have a much better
chance of surviving if properly
labeled.

3. Set a workable delivery date.
Once you know how long the mailing
takes, call your friends to find a date
someone can be home to receive the
gift. Is there a neighbor who's usually
home? Mention that this "surprise"
should go straight into the refrigera-
tor. Then call the mail-order house
back and set up delivery.

... When You Receive A Gift

1. Fresh or cooked meat, poultry or
fish should arrive frozen or still hard
in the middle. If never frozen, it
should be cold to the touch.

2. Ham — With the exception of
dry-cured country hams, baked hams
and most canned hams need refrigera-
tion and should arrive cold.

St Off fig Mail-Order Meat & Poultry

Cabinet

Refrigerator

Freezer

Smoked Hirkey

7 days

6 mos.

Wild Smoked lUrkey

1-2 days

6 mos.

Game Birds

1-2 days

6 mos.

Country Ham —
dry-cured

unsliced,
several mos.

sliced,
1-2 mos.

Canned Smoked
Hams

unopened,
1 vr.

opened,
1 week

Canned Smoked
Refrigerator Hams

unopened,
6-9 mos.
open, 1 week

Lamb

1-2 days

6-9 mos.

Beef

1-2 days

6-12 mos.

Pork

1-2 days

4-8 mos.

3. Sausage — Some hard, dry
sausages (pepperoni, hard salamis)
don't need refrigeration; other types
(summer sausage, Lebanon bologna,
Thuringer) do. If the label says
"refrigerate." the sausage should
arrive cold.

4. Caviar & Lobster — Fresh caviar
must arrive carefully packed and thor-
oughly cold. Otherwise don't eat it.
Don't even taste it. Canned caviar or-
dinarily only requires refrigeration
after opening.

First-class live lobster comes packed
in seaweed in insulated boxes. Ex-
perts say the lobsters should still be
lively before cooking. After cooking,
check that the tail is still tightly
coiled. Don't eat cooked lobster with a
limp tail.

5. Cheese — There should be no
mold on cheese except what is part of
its nature — blue mold in blue cheese,
for example.

6. Cheesecake, perishable because
of its ingredients, should arrive fully
frozen.

PROBLEMS???

Call USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline
(1-800-535-4555) with questions on mail-
order meat and poultry.

Report problems with other food items
to the Food and Drug Administration.
Look for the nearest office under the U.S.
Government, Dept. of Health and Human
Services listings in the phone book.

If you think you deserve a refund, call
or write the mail-order house directly. But
remember, it's the shipper's responsibility
to deliver on time; the customer's respon-
sibility to have someone at home to re-
ceive goods.

should you suspect fraud, check the
phone book for:

— The Inspection Service of your local
U.S. Postal Service, or call

— the Mail Order Action Line of the
Direct Marketing Association

6 E. 43rd Street
New York, N.Y. 10017
(1-212-689-4977)

As a last resort, write the publication
that carried the ad. No publisher wants
fraudulent ads.

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERSIHOUDAYS 1988

! ol diarrheal-type food
poisoning today.

TRUE

What's Your Gut Reactionto these
Food Safety Questions?

FALSE:

There are no bacteria or
other micro-organisms
on meat and poultry
you buy at the grocery.

ou say you've played Trivial Pursuit.
You've even put your Scruples to the
test Now it's time to test your food
safety knowledge.

Starting a' ttie arrow above try your
hand atthojuestions around the
game boaal Answers are on the right.
No peekini.

The new vacuum-packaged
meat In your supermarket is
n. You

b. Write the company that
their meat isn't fit to eat
Realize the color is due to a
lack of oxygen in the
package and that the meat
will turn red again when air

r 'c",' ^^LKING ABOUT TURKEY or

An ice storm knocks out the eiectrlcNy,
and the TV news people estimate it'll be
at least 8 hours before it comes back oa
You can do two constructive things to
save the freezer-full of meat you boughl
with last year's bonus.

; freezer with dry ice

or keep the dooi

closed at least so cold air can't escape.

keep indefinitely.

The term "sous vide" refers t

a. The French version of "This is Your Life.'

:■ A new packaging process i
food is put in a plastic pouc
for later reheating.

PARTY PANIC:

You can't find the sterno-can
that goes under the chafing dish
you need for the meatballs. A
candle you sawed In haK is just
burning what's above it. You

a. Make peanut t

b. Serve the meatballs at room
temperature.

c. Refrigerate the meatballs. Then, i
several points in the evening,
microwave small portions to
serve.

1 Cenlet, Pueblo. Col. 81009

MEAT AND POULTRY LABELS WRAP IT UP from; The Consumer

ill

Sililiii
iliPipi

nillyi!

1
1

1 I

li}piil! sljlil i

I =11111 lis 3 2 I

!i! !1 111 ii li

iii ill P ill t

liil III III l!

11:4 111 Ills ||

If Is! I . I

iff til Hi!! li

5ill:i!ii!s ill
i}}llf|f|iP

I III |ll ilHi f II

Jiifil|iill !

Health and
Nutritim

typical bakery cake, which may contain
as much as half a teaspoon of salt.

USDA researchers have found that
by altering the order in which they
mix ingredients and. at times, by
changing the type of sugar used,
commercial bakers can avoid the
shrinkage and lack of firmness that
were prior pitfalls in baking low-salt
or no-salt cakes.

Contact: Dr. Virginia Holsinger
1-215-233-6703

Several Small Meals vs.
a Couple of Large Ones —
the Calories are Still
the Same

A resounding "no" has been pro-
nounced on recent dietary advice that
recommends eating several small
meals each day for faster weight loss.

Researchers at USDA's Western
Human Nutrition Research Center in
San Francisco found that it made no
difference if volunteers ate two large
meals or ate the same amount of food
at several smaller meals. The rate at
which their bodies used the calories
remained the same.

So, while eating smaller meals may
have some psychological benefits for
dieters, the old-fashioned dietary
wisdom remains the same — it's not
how you eat your food that makes the
difference, it's that you eat less of it!

Contact: Dr. James M, lacono
1-415-556-9697

Copper Deficiency Linked
to Heart Disease and
Hypertension

Studies conducted at the USDA
Human Nutrition Research Center in
Grand Forks, N. Dak., suggest a link
between mild copper deficiency and
hypertension and heart disease.

When lab animals were severely de-
prived of dietary copper, the animals
developed abnormal electrocardio-
grams, elevated blood cholesterol and
other symptoms that are widely be-
lieved to increase the risk of heart
problems.

Recent estimates indicate that only
25 percent of the U.S. population con-
sumes the two milligams of copper
per day considered adequate by the
Food and Nutrition Board of the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences. Most
diets in the United States provide
about half that amount.

"It should be possible to avoid cop-
per deficiency without relying on min-
eral supplements. And careful menu
planning with a wide variety of foods
may allow diets to have ample copper
without excluding any particular
food," says research physician Dr.
Leslie M. Klevay.

Some copper-rich foods are liver,
oysters, chickpeas, nuts and seeds.

Investigator Dr. Henry Lukaski men-
tions research which shows that "a
mild copper deficiency can raise blood
pressure when the body is stressed.
During a hand-grip test, eight healthy
young women who got only 0.6 to 0.7
mg. of copper daily for 3 months had
greater than normal increases in both
systolic and diastohc pressures, with
substantial increases in diastolic
pressure."

Still, there was no change in blood
pressure while the women were at
rest, nor did the low copper intake
affect heart rate.

Contact: Dr. Henry Lukaski
Dr. Leslie M. Klevay
1-701-795-8429

New Variety of
Iceberg Lettuce

Autumn gold, a new iceberg lettuce
that resists the mosaic virus, may be
on the market within a year The let-
tuce is designed for November and
December harvests in California and
Arizona desert regions where much of
the nation's winter lettuce crop is
produced.

Resistance to mosaic virus is impor-
tant because mosaic-infected lettuce is
worthless. Infected plants form small,
distorted heads with leaves that have
an unhealthy "mosaic" pattern of dark
and light green.

Another Autumn Gold advantage is
that it withstands heat, so the lettuce
doesn't go to seed too early Lettuce
that has gone to seed cannot be sold,
and that costs growers money.

"The new lettuce should appeal to
consumers too" says Dr. Edward J.
Ryder, of USDA's Agricultural Research
Service in Salinas, Cal., who devel-
oped the variety "It has nicely
formed, well-rounded heads that
make it better looking" than many ice-
berg varieties grown in the West for
the late fall or early winter harvest.

Contact: Dr. Edward J. Ryder
1-408-755-2860

Gifts of
Research

by Liz Lapping and Marjorie Davidson

Scientific research can be a tedious
and lengthy task. While an occasional
discovery may rate headlines and
media coverage, scientists in basic
research may labor for years without
startling results.

Still, scientists at U.S. Department
of Agriculture laboratories across the
country work constantly to improve
the quality of our lives through better
agriculture, nutrition research, new
food products and more.

Here, in time for the holiday sea-
son, is a listing of just a few of these
"gifts of research" for the consumer.

Salt-Free Cake

People on a low-salt diet can now
take heart that their sweet tooth does
not have to be denied as well, I^ste
panels at USDA's Eastern Research
Center in Philadelphia have deter-
mined that the flavor of salt- free cakes
— white, yellow, spice and devil's
food — is as good or better than the

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERSIHOUDAYS 1988

Carbonated Milk — The
New Soft Drink

Imagine a nutritious alternative to
soft drinks. Scientists at USDA's Agri-
cultural Research Center in New Or-
leans, La., have brought milk into the
20th century. They've carbonated it.

The soda milk is made by bubbling
carbon dioxide gas through a mixture
of water, nonfat dry milk, juice or fla-
voring, and other ingredients. The
mixture is kept under pressure and
bottled right away so the carbonation
doesn't escape.

Scientists have produced two types
of this carbonated milk — one mixed
with filtered apricot juice, the other
with artificial strawberry flavoring.

"You get that tingling, refreshing
sensation of carbonation that you get
in soft drinks, and you're also getting
calcium, protein, and Vitamin C from
the milk and juice," says food tech-
nologist Dr. Ranjit S. Kadan.

Aside from its nutritional advan-
tages, carbonated milk would also
spur consumption of milk. "Carbon-
ated milk would be a big help for chil-
dren, who need calcium as their bones
develop," says Kadan.

Commercial companies are inter-
ested in making such drinks, which
would contain calcium and protein,
and create a new market for surplus
nonfat dry milk.

Contact: Dr. Ranjit S, Kadan
1-504-286-4332

Peanut Variety Helps in
War Against Cholesterol

A peanut strain planted more than'""
30 years ago can now help lower cho-
lesterol levels. The variety has muta-
ted to produce an oil that is effective
in lowering blood cholesterol levels in
humans, reducing fat content in meat
and giving peanut products a longer
shelf Ufe.

"Between 1977 and 1981 this vari-
ety became much higher in oleic acid.
This produces an oil higher in mono-
unsaturates that may be more effec-
tive than poly-unsaturates in lowering
serum cholesterol," says Dr David
Knauft with the Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences at the University
of Florida in Gainesville.

Recent studies at Texas ASM Uni-
versity have also shown that oil high
in mono-unsaturates has the potential
to reduce the proportion of saturated
fat in meat. For instance, in swine that
were fed a ration containing mono-
unsaturated oil, the proportion of sat-
urated fat in the pork was reduced
from 40 percent to 15 percent, he said.

The peanut also should increase
shelf life of peanut products. The high
levels of mono-unsaturated fats in the
new variety are more stable, prevent-
ing rancidity in peanut butter and
candies.

The new variety is currently being
cross-bred with established varieties
for commercial plantings. Success may
be only two to three years away
Contact: Dr, David Knauft
1-904-392-1811

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERSIHOUDAYS 1988

Putting Salmonella
On Hold

Control of salmonella at home can
be as easy as reading and following
directions for safe handling, storage
and cooking of foods. USDA's Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
is working to make it even easier to
know what those directions are.

FSIS and the National Broiler
Council, a poultry trade group, are
encouraging poultry processors to
participate in a voluntary labeling
program that will urge consumers to:

□ Keep all uncooked meats refriger-
ated or frozen until cooking — thaw
in refrigerator or microwave;

□ Cook the product thoroughly to an
internal temperature of 180° F; and,

□ Wash preparation surfaces and
utensils after contact with
uncooked meats.

Poultry processors may also include
their name and address on the label
as a source for additional cooking and
handling information.

FSIS is working in other areas to
"step on the salmonella bug," too.
Since last June, FSIS has required that
equipment used to slaughter poultry
be sprayed with a chlorine solution of
20 parts per miUion (ppm). At such
low levels, chlorine doesn't affect the
taste of the meat.

If equipment is not properly
cleaned, a chicken or turkey moving
down the processing line can leave
behind bacteria on the equipment that
is picked up by the next bird. Spraying
this equipment with the chlorine
solution drastically reduces bacteria,
including salmonella. Chlorine must
be used on all automatic equipment
that removes the insides of chickens
and turkeys, as well as in the water
used to wash the birds.

Controlling salmonella is a shared
responsibility. Improvements such as
the chlorine spray help ensure that
the poultry you buy is safe and whole-
some. Better labeling information
helps you, the consumer, ensure the
poultry you prepare at home is han-
dled, stored and cooked properly. To-
gether, we can put salmonella on hold
permanently.

— Linda Swacina

New Quick Tests for
Drug Residues

Animal drugs are important in
keeping livestock healthy but they
certainly don't belong in the food sup-
ply. That's why the Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) is always
"on the lookout" for new and better
ways to quickly detect illegal levels of
drug residues.

Right now, FSIS is keenly interested
in the work of Environmental Diag-
nostics, Inc., a North Carolina firm.
Company scientists have developed a
series of "card" tests (see photo) that
can tell within minutes if a certain
animal drug is present. These are

screening tests only — they do not tell
exactly how much of a drug is present
— only that it is there.

The tests are simple to run. taking
only 10 minutes. The test is positive
when the control dot darkens while
the sample dot stays white.

They are also inexpensive, running
about $5 per test. They can be used in
a laboratory or by a food inspector
right in a meat plant for immediate
results. The cards are small, for ease
of handling — about the size of a
credit card.

Quick screening tests such as these
are a boon to the agency since they
reduce the need for more elaborate,
and expensive, testing. Only samples
that are positive after screening need
to be sent to a laboratory for further
analysis.

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERSIHOUDAYS 1988

Right now, the agency is looking
into two of these tests. One is for
chloramphenicol, an antibiotic that is
banned for use in livestock since it
can cause aplastic anemia — a poten-
tially fatal blood condition — in peo-
ple. Unfortunately, there have been
cases of illegal use of the drug since it
was banned, so the test is needed.

The second test is for sulfametha-
zine. It is permitted for use in live-
stock, but it can't be given in the 15
days before slaughter. This allows
time for the drug to clear the animal's
system. While sulfa residues generally
have decreased in the last decade, sul-
famethazine made headlines recently
when preliminary results from a study
by the Food and Drug Administration
suggested the drug may cause cancer
in mice.

For more information on "card"
tests, contact Bernard Schwab, chief,
Medical Microbiology Branch, Micro-
biology Division. Food Safety and In-
spection Service, 1-301-344-1813.

— Danielle Schor

Committee Formed
to Advise on
Microbiological
Hazards in Foods

Food inspection is changing rapidly
these days. How so?

Scientists are continually finding
new sources of foodborne illness like
bacteria, viruses and parasites that
can only be identified with lab tests.
This means that traditional visual
inspection by meat inspectors is less
protective than previously thought.

There is also a growing awareness
of foodborne illness associated with
seafood.

Then there's the continuing demand
for quick and ready-to-eat foods,
many in new packages consumers
don't know how to safely handle.

To confront this situation, the
federal agencies that regulate food
are joining together to plan a unified
course of action. This group includes
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(meat and poultry inspection), FDA
(other foods). Commerce and the
Department of the Army.

They've formed the National
Advisory Committee on Micro-
biological Criteria for Foods. The com-
mittee consists of 19 members
representing government, academic,
food industry and consumer interests.

The committee's function will be to
advise on steps that can be taken to
assure the safety of various food prod-
ucts. This advice may range from com-
ments on formal regulations and
purchase requirements for bulk feed-
ing programs to assistance with vol-
untary guidelines designed to elicit
industry support.

To begin operations, the committee
has set up two working groups — one
on meat and poultry and one on
seafood.

For further information, contact:
Ms. Catherine DeRoever, coordinator.
1-202-447-3002.

— Richard Bryant

How About A Zesty
Cornbread Sandwich?

Soon you may be able to make
sandwiches using cornbread. Corn-
bread has been around since colonial
days as a tasty, but crumbly accom-
paniment to ham and beans. But now,
thanks to scientific research from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture, corn-
bread could take on the smooth, uni-
form texture of a popular new
sandwich bread.

'A new specialty bread from USDA
contains fine-ground corn flour
blended with wheat bread flour," says
food technologist Kathleen A. Warner
of the Agricultural Research Service in
Peoria, 111.

The bread's delicate corn flavor and
rich golden color set it apart from
conventional white and whole wheat
breads. Its texture resembles that of
some popular, coarse-textured breads
rather than conventional white
breads.

"It really enhances the taste of a
sandwich with turkey, swiss cheese
and alfalfa sprouts," says Warner She
rates corn-flour bread a "nine" on a
scale of one to ten. "I liked it more
because of the subtle corn flavor."

"Market niches for this bread are
more likely in specialty bake shops,
delis and restaurants than in super-
markets," she says. Perhaps someday
pre-mixes may become available for
home baking.

Contact: Kathleen Warner
1-309-685-4011.

— Liz Lapping

"HIP,
HIP, HOORAY!"

Longer hours to
serve you better

on the
Meat and Poultry
Hotline.

Call l'800-535-4555

for food safety advice.

Monday ■ Friday, Nov. 1-30, 9 to 5, EST
Saturday - Sunday, Nov. 19-20, 9 to 5, EST
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 8 to 2, EST
Monday - Friday, Year-round, 10 to 4,
Eastern Time

A public sen ice of this publication
and the I ' S. Department of Agriculture

FOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS I HOLIDAYS 1988

TURKEY BASICS FROM USDA

BUYING A TURKEY

FROZEN

Buy any time but keep
frozen until 1-4 days before
cooking. (See THAW)

1-1/2 lbs. per person

FROZEN
PRE-STUFFED

Buy any time. Keep frozen
until ready to cook. DO
NOT THAW.
1-1/4 lbs. per person

FRESH

PRE-COOKED

Buy 1-2 days before
cooking. DO NOT BUY
PRE-STUFFED.

1-1/2 lbs. per person

Serve immediately within
1-2 hours of removal from
oven.

1-1/4 lbs. per person

THAWING A TURKEY (For frozen, unstuffed turkeys only)

THAWING TIME
IN THE REFRIGERATOR

(Whole Turkey)

8 to 12 pounds 1 to 2 days

12 to 16 pounds 2 to 3 days

16 to 20 pounds 3 to 4 days

20 to 24 pounds 4 to 5 days

THAWING TIME
IN COLD WATER

(Whole Turkey)

8 to 12 pounds 4 to 6 hours

12 to 16 pounds 6 to 9 hours

16 to 20 pounds 9 to 11 hours

20 to 24 pounds 11 to 12 hours

THAWING
IN A MICROWAVE

Check manufacturer's instruction for
the size turkey that will fit in your
oven, the minutes per pound, and the
power level to use for thawing.

After thawing, remove neck and giblets, wash turkey inside and outside with cold water, drain well.

□ WASH HANDS, UTENSILS, SINK, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAS COME IN CONTACT WITH RAW TURKEY.

STUFFING A TURKEY

STUFFING IN THE TURKEY STUFFING SEPARATE

Mix and stuff ingredients immediately before putting in If you are in a hurry, bake stuffing in greased, covered

oven. Stuff lightly. Cooking time takes longer. Allow 3/4 casserole during last hour while turkey roasts,
cup stuffing per lb. /turkey.

ROASTING A TURKEY

Timetable for Roasting Fresh or Thawed Turkey in a 325°F Oven

WEIGHT (pounds)

4 to 6 (breasts)

6 to 8

8 to 12

12 to 16

16 to 20

20 to 24

24 to 28

UNSTUFFED (hours) STUFFED (hours)

1- 1/2 to 2-1/4

2- 1/4 to 3-1/4

3 to 4

3- 1/2 to 4-1/2

4 to 5

4- 1/2 to 5-1/2

5 to 6-1/2

Not applicable
3 to 3-1/2

3- 1/2 to 4-1/2

4- 1/2 to 5-1/2

5- 1/2 to 6-1/2

6- 1/2 to 7
7 to 8-1/2

Place turkey breast-side up on a rack in a
shallow roasting pan. Do not add water. Cover
turkey with loose tent of heavy-duty aluminum
foil. Remove foil 20-30 minutes before roasting
is done.

Uas soon as turkey is done, remove all stuffing, serve turkey quickly while it is hot

STORING YOUR LEFTOVERS

Divide leftovers into small portions and store in several small or shallow containers. Turkey will keep 3-4 days in
refrigerator. Use stuffing and gravy within 1-2 days. Bring gravy to rolling boil before serving. Use frozen turkey, gravy,
and stuffing within one month.

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Texts

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "Food news for consumers"

See other formats